Book Review: The Door Within
By: Ryan Brouwer
The book is called The Door Within. It is the first book of “The Door Within” Trilogy. The whole trilogy is a fictional series but is relatively based on the Bible as you will see in a little bit. This series is like The Chronicles of Narnia series because it’s story line is some what like the Bible and some characters you could find characteristics that are similar to those of some people in the Bible. This series is written by Wayne Thomas Batson.
Batson is a writer who also teaches Reading and English in Folly Quarter Middle School. He has a graduate degree in counseling and is a Maryland native. He is married and has four children. Batson also has written a book called Isle of Swords and it’s sequel Isle of Fire. He is currently working on a series and is co-authoring with Christopher Hopper for at least three books.
This story is a fiction story because it takes place is a mystical world which used to be the same world as Earth. In other words, the “new world” and our world were the same until they separated by something called “The Great Schism.” Their world’s inhabitants are called “Glimpses.” Glimpses are like normal people except that their skin is shimmery and their eyes glint either red, blue, or green depending on who they serve, but are also like our eyes at the same time. If the eyes glint blue they are serving the good side, if the eyes are green they are undecided, if the eyes glint red the Glimpse serves the evil side. The Glimpses remember the Great Schism but in the book we on earth don’t remember it at all. The humans have a Glimpse twin that looks identical to them but the only difference is their ages so a human on earth could be three years old and the Glimpse is fifty years old but if the Glimpse dies the human dies as well so they were sort of connected in that way. Humans can go to the Realm, which is the other world, but only if King Eliam, the leader of the good, “calls” them there. The human and Glimpse twins can never be in the same world so if a human goes to the Realm, their Glimpse comes to earth. King Eliam is the Realms version of our God and the main character, Aidan, is like Jesus because he came down to Realm from Earth and saved the Realm just as Jesus came to Earth and saved Earth.
King Eliam used to be a king of Alleble but was killed by his “right hand man,” Paragal. After Paragal killed the king his name was changed to Paragor, which means “has a dark heart”, and he became the leader of the evil side. Paragor is the Realms version of Satan. Paragor uses deception as his main attack just as Satan does. Satan was also God’s “right hand angel” just as Paragal was high up in the court of King Eliam.
King Eliam allowed Paragal to kill him just as Jesus allowed himself to be killed. After the King died he went up to his eternal kingdom in the sky which is like our heaven. This is where all believers of King Eliam go when they die, even those from earth. This is like how we, as Christians, will go to heaven.
This book is about how Aidan gets called to the Realm. While in between the worlds there was a path in between two deep valleys. On either sides there are visions of good sights calling him but if he would run off the narrow path, he will be dumped somewhere in The Realm and have to find his way to the Kingdom of Alleble by himself, but if he would stay on the path he will end up in Alleble right away. Unfortunately though, Aidan did run off the path and had a hard time getting to where he wanted to go but he eventually got there. When he gets to Alleble, he goes through training to become a knight. After the Ceremony of Knighthood, he and a bunch of other knights get a mission. This mission was to go a different country and get them to believe in King Eliam before Paragory deceives them into believing Paragor. This book is about all their struggles up to the point of them getting to the country and then the struggles to get them to believe in the right King. They finally get them to believe in King Eliam.
This is the end of the book but only the beginning of the story. To get the rest of the story, and also the parts I missed in this review, read the first, second, and third book in the trilogy.
I enjoyed this book because of scenes that are like real life and described in the Bible. One of these scenes I described already. It is when Aidan is going between the worlds and is on the narrow path. In real life the path is life and all the visions Aidan saw where the lies of the world and Satan. You always want to run to the lies because you are promised wealth and so much more, such as popularity, success, and a good reputation. The way Aidan was going to the end of the path to get to Alleble is like us trying to get to heaven and God. In the Bible this is described as the narrow, hard road is the way of God and the wide, easy path is the way of the world and we are to choice which path to follow. Another scene is when Aidan meets the biggest Mortiwrath, a poisonous reptile, in the Realm. He is scared but is comforted by King Eliam. This is like when we face something frightening and bigger than us. God will comfort us and help us get through it. These situations are like when a relative dies. God helps you get through it and on with your life, even though it is tough.
You will really enjoy this series if you like books that are a fantasy with battles. You will also like this book if you like to read parallelisms. If you have ever read Revelations and then read the last book of this series called The Final Storm you will see a bunch of relations between the two. I read The Final Storm and then heard Revelations in detail and I was amazed how much details Batson put into all of the books especially the last book. The books basically go from the beginning of time or creation, straight to when Jesus came to earth, and then to the end times so it covers a lot of time but is very good about it and Batson is able to tie them together very well.
I would definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for a good book that will get you hooked.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
The American Sport
I remember the scene as if it was yesterday. The loud screaming of two twin newborns, the wailing of the ambulances around the hospital, but the loudest of them all was the ringing in my head after I had received the news. Not the news that I now have two younger siblings, a boy and a girl, but that my mother had died while giving birth to these screaming little bundles which were normally full of joy but these cost my mom’s life. I was now fatherless and motherless.
The day before this my mother drove rapidly to the hospital. When we got there she told me to stay in the lobby and wait for her to come get me after the joyous moment. I thought it would only be a few minutes, a half-hour at most, but quickly it was an hour and I was bored. Soon a nurse came in to check in on me and gave me a snack. I was becoming nervous and panicked. Finally after about 27.5 hours, about 20 of them I was sleeping, I heard a voice calling me. I awoke with a start, then realized it wasn’t my mom. I laid back down and the same nurse came to me and said that I could come see my new baby brother and sister.
When I heard I had two siblings I nearly fainted with excitement. Then I wondered why my mom didn’t come and get me but I quickly lost that thought with excitement.
The nurse led me down a hallway and made me look through a big window. She showed me where my little siblings were. As I was looking at them I wondered why they weren’t with my mom. I finally asked the nurse where my mom was. At first she just looked at me, thinking, with a sad expression and finally she replied saying that my mom had died.
I was shocked and just stared at her. I thought she just was playing a cruel joke on me. It took a little while until I realized that she was serious. That was when I started crying. I never have cried that much since. I stood there crying for who knows how long. The nurse went back to work and I stayed there watching my brother and sister.
That was 8 years ago. My two siblings and I now live in a poor, rundown, brick orphanage in a poor neighborhood in New York City. I am 12 years old and wishing to be adopted along with my brother and sister. I’m getting doubtful that will happen. Who would want a shaggy haired black kid who talks with a slur and walks with a limp, along with two other kids the same way. I also wish I could become rich and live in a mansion. But, my biggest wish was to get out ot this orphanage which I hated yet loved. I also wanted something I loved to do and was good at. I wasn’t smart enough for chess or checkers. I couldn’t jump or throw frisbees. I just wasn’t good at the programs the orphanage supported.
But then one day the program advisor came to me and asked if I would want to join a baseball team they were trying to get started. Fed up with trying something new and being the worst at it, I denied him. He tried to convince me for days and weeks to come but I kept saying no to him. Finally the season started and he stopped bugging me about it. I went on with my life during the first quarter of the season. Then, one of my best friends who played baseball came to me and said I should come and play at their practice the next day. For some reason I went just to watch. As I sat there watching and waiting, the coach came over and sat next to me. He just started talking to me. He asked me why I came and I answered that my friend invited me. Then the coach asked me to play during the scrimmage that day. I couldn’t believe it, but I actually loved it. I started coming to every practice but since I started late I couldn’t play in the games, but I didn’t care. I went to every one of their games and sat on the bench, even though I didn’t dress for the team.
Ever since I started playing, I was one of the best players. The first season went by way too fast. I couldn’t wait until the next season but in the middle of fall the next year, I started to hear little whispers that got louder and louder. These rumors said that the orphanage might not have a baseball team again next year. I was devastated. I had finally found some thing I love and now it was possibly gone! I remember spending days in my room for a week or two after that not wanting to see or talk to anyone besides my roommate anymore, I didn’t want to be alive. Finally that phase passed over. I talked more and came out of my room. Unfortunately, I was never the same person after that. I was sad, gloomy, moody, and temperamental. All my friends didn’t want to be near me anymore, nor I near them. It was terrible!
Finally I went to ask the coach if the rumors were true. When I got to his office I asked him, “Are the rumors true?”
He looked at me weird and said, “What rumors?”
“The rumors of not having a baseball!” I nearly yelled.
“Oh, those rumors. Well, I can’t really answer that because I’m not sure either.”
I bolted out the door and sprinted all the way to my dorm. People tried to talk to me and ask me what was wrong but I ignored them, which I never do. I stayed in my room that night, missing my two favorite classes and my favorite supper. The next day I came out of my room but I was depressed and sadder than ever. I lived like this for about a week until, in the beginning of winter, I saw a sign hanging next to the cafeteria. The sign went like this.
There will be a baseball team again this year.
Those interested meet in my room at 12:00 on
December 4.
-Coach Ball
I glanced at my watch. I read 11:59. I thought “If I run, I will only be two or three minutes late.” I took off at breakneck speed. I had never run that fast before. I was halfway there wen I passed my best friend R.J., who also played baseball, and he was going the other way. He yelled at me with a puzzled look on his face, “Roscoe, where are you going in such a hurry?”
I yelled back, “I can’t be late for the meeting!”
R.J. yelled something that sounded like “What meeting?” but I didn’t understand him.
I finally got to the coach’s office, went in, and sat down. I looked at the time, it was only 12:03. I looked around and no one was there. I thought everyone was a little late so I jut waited. Around 12:10 I started wondering where everyone was. At about 12:15 the coach came in and gave me a startled look.
“What are you doing here?” he asked
“I’m here for the baseball meeting.” I answered.
Coach Ball burst out laughing. I wondered if it was something I said.
Stifling back his laughter, Coach said, “Today is December 3. That meeting is tomorrow at noon.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. I turned to leave, feeling embarrassed but all the more excited for the meeting tomorrow. As I left, the coach was still chuckling to himself and called out to me, “See you tomorrow.”
That season, as every other season until the end of my high school, went well. The more I played, the more I loved the game and the more I loved it, the more I wanted to play. I didn’t keep playing baseball just because I loved it but also because I was good at it. I was so good I was one of the best high school baseball players, if not the best.
Soon I was done with high school and I decided that I wanted to go to college. But I didn’t want to go for the academics, I wanted to go so I could play more baseball.
I got a full scholarship to the University of Minnesota. I did fine in school. I wasn’t a straight A student but I got A’s and B’s, so I was able to play baseball. I was still the best, not only on my team but in all of college baseball.
My two years of college went by way too fast. Now there’s talk of pro-baseball drafting. More and more teams are stopping by to come up with a contract but I’m still not sure if I want to be a pro-baseball player. I still have that orphanage that I loved and hated at the same time in the back of my mind but it’s slowly creeping forward.
I still want to play and give my “not so little siblings” something to watch, which they have done ever since I started, and also a home. Also if I played I could help the orphanage.
I also wouldn’t mind working for the orphanage. I could see all the kids I grew up with grow up and see all new kids come in.
The day before this my mother drove rapidly to the hospital. When we got there she told me to stay in the lobby and wait for her to come get me after the joyous moment. I thought it would only be a few minutes, a half-hour at most, but quickly it was an hour and I was bored. Soon a nurse came in to check in on me and gave me a snack. I was becoming nervous and panicked. Finally after about 27.5 hours, about 20 of them I was sleeping, I heard a voice calling me. I awoke with a start, then realized it wasn’t my mom. I laid back down and the same nurse came to me and said that I could come see my new baby brother and sister.
When I heard I had two siblings I nearly fainted with excitement. Then I wondered why my mom didn’t come and get me but I quickly lost that thought with excitement.
The nurse led me down a hallway and made me look through a big window. She showed me where my little siblings were. As I was looking at them I wondered why they weren’t with my mom. I finally asked the nurse where my mom was. At first she just looked at me, thinking, with a sad expression and finally she replied saying that my mom had died.
I was shocked and just stared at her. I thought she just was playing a cruel joke on me. It took a little while until I realized that she was serious. That was when I started crying. I never have cried that much since. I stood there crying for who knows how long. The nurse went back to work and I stayed there watching my brother and sister.
That was 8 years ago. My two siblings and I now live in a poor, rundown, brick orphanage in a poor neighborhood in New York City. I am 12 years old and wishing to be adopted along with my brother and sister. I’m getting doubtful that will happen. Who would want a shaggy haired black kid who talks with a slur and walks with a limp, along with two other kids the same way. I also wish I could become rich and live in a mansion. But, my biggest wish was to get out ot this orphanage which I hated yet loved. I also wanted something I loved to do and was good at. I wasn’t smart enough for chess or checkers. I couldn’t jump or throw frisbees. I just wasn’t good at the programs the orphanage supported.
But then one day the program advisor came to me and asked if I would want to join a baseball team they were trying to get started. Fed up with trying something new and being the worst at it, I denied him. He tried to convince me for days and weeks to come but I kept saying no to him. Finally the season started and he stopped bugging me about it. I went on with my life during the first quarter of the season. Then, one of my best friends who played baseball came to me and said I should come and play at their practice the next day. For some reason I went just to watch. As I sat there watching and waiting, the coach came over and sat next to me. He just started talking to me. He asked me why I came and I answered that my friend invited me. Then the coach asked me to play during the scrimmage that day. I couldn’t believe it, but I actually loved it. I started coming to every practice but since I started late I couldn’t play in the games, but I didn’t care. I went to every one of their games and sat on the bench, even though I didn’t dress for the team.
Ever since I started playing, I was one of the best players. The first season went by way too fast. I couldn’t wait until the next season but in the middle of fall the next year, I started to hear little whispers that got louder and louder. These rumors said that the orphanage might not have a baseball team again next year. I was devastated. I had finally found some thing I love and now it was possibly gone! I remember spending days in my room for a week or two after that not wanting to see or talk to anyone besides my roommate anymore, I didn’t want to be alive. Finally that phase passed over. I talked more and came out of my room. Unfortunately, I was never the same person after that. I was sad, gloomy, moody, and temperamental. All my friends didn’t want to be near me anymore, nor I near them. It was terrible!
Finally I went to ask the coach if the rumors were true. When I got to his office I asked him, “Are the rumors true?”
He looked at me weird and said, “What rumors?”
“The rumors of not having a baseball!” I nearly yelled.
“Oh, those rumors. Well, I can’t really answer that because I’m not sure either.”
I bolted out the door and sprinted all the way to my dorm. People tried to talk to me and ask me what was wrong but I ignored them, which I never do. I stayed in my room that night, missing my two favorite classes and my favorite supper. The next day I came out of my room but I was depressed and sadder than ever. I lived like this for about a week until, in the beginning of winter, I saw a sign hanging next to the cafeteria. The sign went like this.
There will be a baseball team again this year.
Those interested meet in my room at 12:00 on
December 4.
-Coach Ball
I glanced at my watch. I read 11:59. I thought “If I run, I will only be two or three minutes late.” I took off at breakneck speed. I had never run that fast before. I was halfway there wen I passed my best friend R.J., who also played baseball, and he was going the other way. He yelled at me with a puzzled look on his face, “Roscoe, where are you going in such a hurry?”
I yelled back, “I can’t be late for the meeting!”
R.J. yelled something that sounded like “What meeting?” but I didn’t understand him.
I finally got to the coach’s office, went in, and sat down. I looked at the time, it was only 12:03. I looked around and no one was there. I thought everyone was a little late so I jut waited. Around 12:10 I started wondering where everyone was. At about 12:15 the coach came in and gave me a startled look.
“What are you doing here?” he asked
“I’m here for the baseball meeting.” I answered.
Coach Ball burst out laughing. I wondered if it was something I said.
Stifling back his laughter, Coach said, “Today is December 3. That meeting is tomorrow at noon.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. I turned to leave, feeling embarrassed but all the more excited for the meeting tomorrow. As I left, the coach was still chuckling to himself and called out to me, “See you tomorrow.”
That season, as every other season until the end of my high school, went well. The more I played, the more I loved the game and the more I loved it, the more I wanted to play. I didn’t keep playing baseball just because I loved it but also because I was good at it. I was so good I was one of the best high school baseball players, if not the best.
Soon I was done with high school and I decided that I wanted to go to college. But I didn’t want to go for the academics, I wanted to go so I could play more baseball.
I got a full scholarship to the University of Minnesota. I did fine in school. I wasn’t a straight A student but I got A’s and B’s, so I was able to play baseball. I was still the best, not only on my team but in all of college baseball.
My two years of college went by way too fast. Now there’s talk of pro-baseball drafting. More and more teams are stopping by to come up with a contract but I’m still not sure if I want to be a pro-baseball player. I still have that orphanage that I loved and hated at the same time in the back of my mind but it’s slowly creeping forward.
I still want to play and give my “not so little siblings” something to watch, which they have done ever since I started, and also a home. Also if I played I could help the orphanage.
I also wouldn’t mind working for the orphanage. I could see all the kids I grew up with grow up and see all new kids come in.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
A Puppies Sense
Have you ever heard a puppy?
It's yipping and yapping, whining for it's mother
Have you ever felt a puppy?
Soft yet scratchy, radiating heat from the life bubbling inside
Have you ever smelled a puppy?
Traces of dust and leaves, the scent of it's second mother
Have you ever tasted a puppy?
Chewy and tangy, it has a bad after taste
Have you ever seen a puppy?
It's rambunctious and hyper, a small form of the beautiful animal it will become
It's yipping and yapping, whining for it's mother
Have you ever felt a puppy?
Soft yet scratchy, radiating heat from the life bubbling inside
Have you ever smelled a puppy?
Traces of dust and leaves, the scent of it's second mother
Have you ever tasted a puppy?
Chewy and tangy, it has a bad after taste
Have you ever seen a puppy?
It's rambunctious and hyper, a small form of the beautiful animal it will become
My Life as a...
It begins suspended high in the air
Then, swoosh, I drop down un
down o c
down and b e
Now, I'm sandwiched between to hard, wood sticks
Next, I am gliding on a white, cold surface running
I hear a swish, swish and feel a jolt
I whiz through the air and fly into a soft netting
Once I touch the ground I hear a buzz
Then it's over, all too quickly
Then, swoosh, I drop down un
down o c
down and b e
Now, I'm sandwiched between to hard, wood sticks
Next, I am gliding on a white, cold surface running
I hear a swish, swish and feel a jolt
I whiz through the air and fly into a soft netting
Once I touch the ground I hear a buzz
Then it's over, all too quickly
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